When it was finally announced that Rooney would be playing, I thought: wouldn’t it be ironic if, after all that hype, he’s the one who puts England out of the competition – most likely by missing his penalty, as that’s how England normally lose?

Well, in the event it wasn’t quite like that, but it was close. Rooney was sent off for stamping on an opponent, meaning his teammates had to play on for over an hour with only 10 men. England then lost the subsequent penalty shoot-out.

Whether or not Rooney’s dismissal prevented the team from scoring a winning goal can be left for the pundits to decide – and ultimately no-one will ever know. But it can hardly have helped, and will certainly have given the opposing Portugese team extra confidence.

For a team game, surely you need a good team? Yet the media persist in concentrating on one or two players who make the headlines.

By all accounts, Rooney is an unpleasant young man both on and off the pitch. He’s an extremely bad role model. It’s time the media stopped glorifying this sort of behaviour, and revering this type of person. People would do well to remember what Rooney’s most significant contribution to the 2006 World Cup was.

“For a team game, surely you need a good team? Yet the media persist in concentrating on one or two players who make the headlines.” -JR

I think this is a very good point. SGE created a team of superstars. Like Madrid’s Galacticos, England did not have a balanced team.

A good example of the importance of this can be found with Greece when they won the last European championships or with Italy during the recent World Cup. Italy had fantastic balance to their team. Luca Toni was their striker all tournament despite not scoring that many goals and grumblings about Lippi’s team selection but his performances allowed Italy to function to their best as a team.

I am not saying England should have played a similar player up front at all by-the-way – the point is England should have played to their strengths and Erikkson should have bitten the bullet and dropped Lampard or Gerrard (this prob would have been Lampard) and played 4-4-2 all tournament with Hargreaves alongside (prob Gerrard) the other midfielder. Beckham should have been replaced in certain matches by Lennon especially against Portugal (who had a poor right back). Terry should have been captain and I strongly feel that Darren Bent could have been England’s Luca Toni… tieing the squad together nicely.

Just a reply to both your comment and barry’s comment. W. Rooney is not the most well behaved person in the world…. In Greece the world( guruni sounds like Woo-Roooney) means pig! strange coincidence… So I 100% agree with Rooneys case.

Mr Barry Isn’t it funny how Greece ( well our real name is HELLAS as Greek is a term imposed by the Turks which means little, person of no importance etc) such a small country with no history or so in football managed to win one of the greatest trophies in the world, the european cup?

The truth is that the Hellenes ( well if you want… the…Greeks) are very passionate and extremely skillfull, they do luck th organisational skills and they leave things to the last moment ( like the Olympic Games) When the Great German coach Herr Otto Rehagel came he realised our talents and he just added German discipline, thats all… and you see the results… Your country is suppose to be the Home of football as the song implies but never manage to win a European cup.. You know why? Its the BRITISH MEDIA… they even managed to convince ME that it is the Superior team blah blah blah.. superior team my arse as Ricky Tomlinson would happily proclaim… Too much hype and too much metrosexuality by a team of such talented individuals….

To conclude, the problem is not Rooney or beckham and every Beckham or Lampard etc.. The problem is the media.

Its the Media in your country that countroll the average English and directly or indirectly shape ideas ideals and ways of life….. then they create super role models and the average English fails in love with them… but in football its not up to one guy, the Diego Maradona era is far away… Football is a team sport that is not played in the pages of the glossy lifestyle magazines or in the TV studios… It is played on the grass , 11 against 11.

Also look at Brazil…. God dammit they spend all their football energy creating adverising spots that they had no energy to make something in the real game :)))

People are looking for role models. Not all role models are necessarily good ones. Take Mike Tyson for example, he was crazy , a fighter and a killer but was loved and adored by millions, even me , for the way he was fighting .. ( well… in his prime)

Rooney is the kind of model that the average English fan could identify with, the lad that would drink the pints then go to the footie and be in the stands with the rest of the lads… A few pints more and the lad would end up in a fight or..sh..gging the lasses if you know what i mean 🙂

Such is the stereotype of wayne Rooney. If Beckham is The Beatles Ronney is The Stones of English football.